Turkish forces have fully withdrawn from the key Zap valley of northern Iraq where they have been clashing with Kurdish PKK members, a Turkish military source told Reuters. Most of the troops withdrawing from the valley are already in Turkey and the remainder will soon cross the border, the source said.

Earlier, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters in Baghdad that all Turkish troops had withdrawn from northern Iraq, eight days after they launched a major ground offensive. "All the Turkish troops have withdrawn and gone back to the Turkish side of the international border. We welcome this, we think this is the right thing for Turkey to do," Zabari said.